Matthew 28: Jesus is risen

Jesus came to win over sin and death.
we read:

1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

We Christians understand that through Jesus, we have power to overcome sin and death. Jesus is our king. We belong to his kingdom. We read:

18-20 Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

The church is the place that baptize people in the name of the Father , Son and Holy Spirit. It is also the place where the we receive the teachings of Jesus and transmit it to others. It should be the place where earth and heaven are together.

Matthew 27: Jesus is crucified as the king of the Jews

Jesus was accused of blasphemy by the high priest, however, this was not a great charge against him in the roman empire.
The Jewish leaders accused him of insubordination to the Roman empire when he was delivered to the governor Pilates.
we read:

11 Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”

27-31 The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor’s palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun. They stripped him and dressed him in a red robe. They plaited a crown from branches of a thornbush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” they said. “Bravo!” Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick. When they had had their fun, they took off the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.

35-40 After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they killed time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”

How could this happen? The Jews were expecting the Messiah for centuries. They were eager to see the Messiah after the exile from Babylon. It is ironic the Messiah came, the crowds saw him as the Messiah, the son of David, but not the Jewish leaders.  They delivered him to the Romans, to be crucified. We Christians understand that the Jews were expecting a Messiah that would set Israel free from his oppressors, while in fact Jesus came to set us free from sin and death. He is the lamb of God that took away our sins.

It is very interesting that the Jews knew that Jesus told he would rise from death after three days, so they asked the Romans to keep Jesus tomb safe from Jesus disciples.

Matthew 26: Jesus is the lamb of the Lord

The Jewish leaders plotted the death of Jesus. Judas made a deal with the Jewish leaders: he would betray Jesus for 30 coins of silver.
In the Jewish feast of Passover, Jews from around the world gathered around the temple of Jerusalem.
The Passover celebrates the freedom from Egypt, focusing on when the pharaoh authorized the Jews to worship the Lord in the desert. This happened after the pharaoh's son died due to the spirit of death that swept the Egypt. However, the Jews were told to mark their houses with the blood of the lamb. Those houses marked by the blood of the lamb were set aside from the spirit of death.
In the Passover celebration, Jesus had a meal with his disciples. We read:


26-29 During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples:
Take, eat.
This is my body.
Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:
Drink this, all of you.
This is my blood,
God’s new covenant poured out for many people
    for the forgiveness of sins.
“I’ll not be drinking wine from this cup again until that new day when I’ll drink with you in the kingdom of my Father.”
30 They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives.

In that meal, Jesus was sharing his body for the forgiveness of sins.
It is very interesting that Christians all around the world eat the holy supper. Every time we do this, we remember that Jesus gave his life for our sins. We can be confident that Jesus was not taken by surprise. His crucifixion was not any accident. Jesus is the lamb who set us free from death. Everything is under the Lord's control.

Matthew 25: Watch

Matthew 25 can be divided in three parts: 1. The Story of the Virgins, 2. The Story About Investment, 3. The Sheep and the Goats.
Jesus is the Lord who will stay absent for a long time. What will his disciples do when he is absent?
Will they watch? Will they take care of the Lord's priorities?
In all three parts, the Lord comes back and there is a judgement, a separation: some disciples didn´t watch, they made their own things their priority, others watched, they made Jesus things their priority.
My natural way of living is to make my things my priority.
My effort in reading the Bible is to surrender myself to Jesus, day by day. May the Spirit change my mind and make the work to obey the Lord, because it is necessary power to do so.

Matthew 24: Jesus prophesies

Jesus is in Jerusalem, very next to his crucifixion. He talks about the future of the temple:

1-2 Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, “You’re not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there’s not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble.”

Titus desecrated the temple and then destroyed it in 70, We read:

15-20 “But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up in the Temple sanctuary. The prophet Daniel described this. If you’ve read Daniel, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills; if you’re working in the yard, don’t return to the house to get anything; if you’re out in the field, don’t go back and get your coat. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen during the winter or on a Sabbath.

It is not in the Bible, but Christians knew about this passage and a lot of Christians run away from Jerusalem when the temple was desecrated.

Jesus talks about his return:


39-44 “The Son of Man’s Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

Jesus expects that his disciples keep his words meanwhile, so he says to them (to me) to be alert. He says the same thing in chapter 21. I belong to Jesus. I see myself as a Jesus slave, but am I doing his words?

Matthew 23: the Messiah of the Jews is rejected

Jewish leaders rejected the Messiah. He was expected to be received as in Psalm 118 (as in verse 39):

"Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!"

In fact, he was so received by the people of Jerusalem (children included), but he was rejected by the leaders. We read (MSG):

37-39 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’”

Matthew 23 explain the psychology of the Jewish leaders, high priest included. They enjoyed to be seen as "men of God", but they didn't love the Word. They oppressed the people by many men made rules. We live in a world where many Christian churches behave exactly like the Jewish leaders behaved. Should we bow to religious leaders? We read:

8-10 “Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

A Christian is not be put on a pedestal like the Jewish leaders, but why does that happen on Christian churches?
I daresay because men prefer to get simple (and silly) explanations or simple commands.
The Bible is the great defense to any manipulation, but do people read their Bibles?

Matthew 22: Jesus answer questions from his enemies

Jesus is in Jerusalem. Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians are against Jesus. They are enemies among themselves but they found an enemy in common: Jesus. These three groups of people ask questions to Jesus in order to test him and put him in a difficult situation. For instance: what is the position of Jesus about Roman taxes: pro or against? Some Jews hate Rome; and they are against Roman taxes. However if Jesus were against  Roman taxes he becomes against Rome and Caesar. Here is a difficult question in order to trap Jesus. We read:

18-19 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece.
20 “This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?”
21 They said, “Caesar.”
“Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.”  

Jesus didn't preach any revolt against the system, against Rome. In a way, he said to submit to Rome. He saw many ways to submit to the Lord and to Rome because most of time there's no conflict between Rome and the Lord even though Rome is a kingdom of this world and essentially evil. Christian pay the taxes and this is not evil (by contrary, it is good). Jesus is the king of the kingdom of heaven, but he came not to destroy the kingdom of this world, but to destroy sin and death. I am a sinner and my destine is the death. Jesus came to free me. Peter, John, etc. were Jews that ,very likely, had Rome as an enemy, but their great enemy was sin and death.

It is very easy to think that a kingdom comes when it win battles. Can we imagine a kingdom that wins by being submissive? Jesus way is very different, it is divine.

Matthew 21: Is Jesus the Messiah for Jerusalem people?

In Matthew 21 Jesus arrives in Jerusalem from Galilee. He is welcomed by the people of Jerusalem as the Messiah, the son of David:

6-9 The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, “Hosanna to David’s son!” “Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” “Hosanna in highest heaven!”

However, the Jewish leaders had another idea as for example: Jesus is a mere human - so it is an absurd that he is so welcomed in Jerusalem, or worse, he got power from Satan when performing miracles. Jesus said to them that they pretended to be doing the will of the Lord using just their mouth:


31-32 “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?”
They said, “The first.”
Jesus said, “Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God’s kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn’t care enough to change and believe him.

In Matthew 21, we see Jesus as the Messiah to the crowd but not to the Jewish leaders. To welcome Jesus is to welcome the kingdom of heaven, while rejecting him is to reject the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 20: great in the kingdom of heaven

The mother of James and John requested Jesus that their sons would be great in the kingdom of heaven. We read:

24-28 When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”

The great man in our world demands to be served, but in the kingdom of heaven, the greater a guy is, the more he serves. Jesus himself is the one who serves. He gave away his life in exchange of my life. If my king is the one who serves, how would dare I not to serve? Christ shows to serve and to suffer for the kingdom.

Matthew 19: eternal life and kingdom of heaven

Who has eternal life? Those who belong to the kingdom of heaven, right?! Who is saved in Christian terms? Those who surrender their life to Jesus. Where in the Bible may we put all this together? In Matthew 19, we see all this together.
We read:

16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

A man (a rich guy) asks what he has to do to get eternal life, however here, in Matthew 19, is the first occurrence of "eternal life" of Matthew gospel. The enphasis on previous chapters has been on the kingdom of heaven. It is not explained how this guy came up with this question. I would expect much more a question like:

“Teacher, what good thing must I do to enter in the kingdom of heaven?”

However, after Jesus said that the rich guy should sell everything, he left Jesus. We read:

23-24 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
25 The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”
26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

Jesus commented that it was difficult for the rich guy to enter God's kingdom, however the question was about "eternal life". We can understand that "eternal life" and "enter in God's kingdom" are close related. Every Christian who is saved, believes they are on the way to eternal life because they trust what the Lord has done to them. In this same chapter, we understand that Jesus thinks of himself as much more important than any other disciples' family. Every Christian surrenders his life to Jesus as in:

28-30 Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields — whatever — because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Sadly for the rich guy, he couldn't give up everything to follow Jesus.

Matthew 18: How to enter in the kingdom of heaven?

We don't read so much things like: "accept Jesus" or "when were you converted?" in the gospels and even in the roman catholic church. However, we read in MSG:

2-5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.


The values of this world are the opposite of the values in the kingdom: the king of this world is the one who is served but the King in the kingdom of heaven is the one who not only serves, but also give his life as food for their servants.  Therefore, to enter in the kingdom is necessary a conversion, a change in priorities. This change is not easy for any human being, but it is the work of the Spirit who makes one person start over like children: everything has to be learned again.

To learn means to recognize errors and improve. A Christian is not someone perfect, but a one who walks with Christ, who learns with Jesus. As he is not perfect, the kingdom of heaven, the church must help him, forgive him and teach him. We read:

15-17 “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

It is really strange and marvelous that the kingdom of heaven is made of sinners who are constantly repenting.

Matthew 17: This is my Son

 Peter declared that Jesus is the Son of God, but now the Father declares that Jesus is his son. In a private moment with only three disciples: Peter , John and James, Jesus shines and a voice is heard:

5 While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.”

Who in the Old Testament was called the Son of God? The nation of Israel, but there was not a single person who was called the Son of God. To the first Christians, the statement: "Jesus, the Messiah, Son of God" was very important, so important that the fish was the symbol of the first Christians due to ICTUS ( (Ι) = Iesus (Jesus), (Χ) = Christos (Christ), (Θ) = Theos (God), (Υ) = Yios (Son), (Σ) = Soter (Savior)).

Jesus is the son loved by the Lord in whom the Lord delights. Certainly Jesus was not a spoiled child. Soon after this statement we read:

22-23 As they were regrouping in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him—and three days later he will be raised alive.” The disciples felt scared to death.

Jesus, the Messiah, Son of God knew he was to suffer in the cross, but he also knew he would defeat death.

Matthew 16: Who is Jesus to Peter?

 The Jews were under Roman control. They were expecting the Messiah for a long time. The Messiah would make the will of the Lord - He would destroy the enemies of Israel.
We read:

13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”

16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Peter had already seen many miracles and sermons of Jesus. Jesus said that the Spirit revealed that to Peter.

21-22 Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. Peter took him in hand, protesting, “Impossible, Master! That can never be!”

Peter was chocked. He left everything to follow Jesus. He bet on Jesus. Now, Jesus is saying that he will be killed. Peter must stopped listening to Jesus at this moment.

23 But Jesus didn’t swerve. “Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works.”

Perhaps Jesus was looking to Peter when he said:

24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Peter became a leader in the beginning of the church, but the tradition says he was crucified by a roman persecution to Christians. Jesus called me to a life of suffering, self-sacrifice that involves to bless my enemies, to pray for them. Jesus became the center of the Peter's life.

Matthew 15: Word and Love in Jesus

I am attending a Presbyterian church. The Word is well studied and preached. Does our church is also a community where one loves another? In a questionnaire, most members were satisfied with the exposition of the Word, but not so much about how love is expressed in our church. I suppose that there are other churches that are the opposite. 

In chapter 15 we read about how the Word and Love was very important to Jesus.
The pharisees accused Jesus of not being a rigorous teacher: his disciples didn´t wash their hands before meal. This would make them impure before the Lord. Jesus answer was based on the Word. First, he accused the pharisees of breaking the law themselves by creating rules that lead to dishonoring the parents and then, he said that what makes a person impure the Lord are what goes out from the heart. He used the Word to argument it.
Matthew 15 then shows Jesus compassion to a caananite woman who insisted very for Jesus to cure his daughter. In that society, a caananite woman was greatly despised, but Jesus commended her faith.
I read the Bible everyday. I love the Word. Do I love other people? No so much I am afraid. I want to be more like Jesus that loves the Word and other people.

Matthew 14: word and signs from the King

In Matthew 13, we read parables about the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 14, we read about great signs from the King. If I were with the disciples, it would be clear to me: "the kingdom of heaven has come now, and I am next to the king!".
However, the signs are very different from what one Jew would imagine. He could thought about fire falling from heaven consuming sinners, but in Matthew 14 we read about Jesus feeding a great crowd and after Jesus walking on the sea. Was the disciple Peter a sinner? Certainly so, but he was walking with the master. We read:

28 Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”
29-30 He said, “Come ahead.”
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”
31 Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
32-33 The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, “This is it! You are God’s Son for sure!”

In the end of Matthew 14, it was clear: Jesus is the son of God.

Matthew 13: parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven

In Matthew 13 we read many parables. Many of them begin with:

"the kingdom of heaven is like  ... "

If I were to complete this sentence, I would say that the kingdom of heaven is a place where the Lord's will is done, and therefore is a place of joy and peace.
But Jesus didn't say anything close to that. In fact, he did say something like that but in much more subtle way.
For instance:

45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

I understand that the kingdom is like a group of people who found Jesus extremely important to his life, in fact, Jesus himself said that He is the life. If we think of the kingdom as a group of people with the same purpose, then we can say that the parables about the kingdom of heaven is talking about the church. The Church in fact is the place where the Lord's is done (through struggles) and where we find joy and peace (not as the world understands, but joy and peace in the middle of persecution and suffering.

Matthew 12: Jesus, the suffering servant of Isaiah

A descendant of king David would restore Israel according to many prophets. The Messiah would come in power, destroying the enemies of Israel. However, Isaiah prophesies about the servant of the Lord who carries the sin of Israel. Were these prophecies talking about the same person? Yes, the gospel of Matthew points to the suffering servant in Isaiah 42:

15-21 Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:
Look well at my handpicked servant;
    I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
    he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
    there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
    won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
    the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
        among far-off unbelievers.

He will treat people kindly: "He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings, won’t push you into a corner.".
Matthew 12 contrasts the religiosity of the pharisees to the kindness of Jesus.
The pharisees divided people in two groups: those who follow their interpretation of the law (torah) and those who don't. Their interpretation was somehow cold - the law was above mercy. For instance: to cure in the Sabbath day is to work (is it written in Torah or is it an interpretation?), so they were observing if Jesus would break their interpretation of the law and cure a man. 

Imagine how heavy was to follow the pharisaic interpretation of the law - it pointed to a God that resembled an old man full of his selfish manias. When Jesus fulfills the suffering servant he pointed to a merciful God that loves people. 

Am I loving people?

Matthew 11: How Jesus see himself?

In Matthew 11, John (the Baptizer) is not so sure that Jesus is Messiah, so he asks his disciples to ask Jesus about it. Jesus answered:

4-6 Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.
“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”

This is a reference to Isaiah 35. Jesus saw himself as the one who fulfills this prophecy, but what is this prophecy saying? It is talking about restoration. Jesus saw himself as the one who restores Israel (or the world) to the shalom, to the will of the Lord. As a Christian, I understand that Jesus is the one who restores me to be pleasant to the Lord.

Matthew 10: "The kingdom of heaven has come near"

Jesus calls his disciples to spread the message: "The kingdom of heaven has come near". This message would be authenticated by power. Sicks would be cured, demons would be expelled and dead people would be raised. The way Jesus is seen is the key. Jesus wants that his disciples consider him much more important than they themselves. We read:

38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

The who accepts what Jesus does, accepts the Father. To accept Jesus is to accept the Father. Accept Jesus is the key to enter in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 9: The pharisees accuse Jesus of blasphemy

According to the merian webster dictionary, blasphemy is:

1a
: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God accused of blasphemy

b
: the act of claiming the attributes of a deity for a mere man to suggest that he was … divine could only be viewed … as blasphemy—John Bright †1889

We read:

1-3 Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus’ hometown. They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!”

A mere man can't forgive sins in general of anyone. He can forgive only sins addressed to him. In this passage, a paraplegic man's sins are forgiven by Jesus. No wonder the pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy because they couldn't see Jesus as the son of God. Jesus answered showing a sign that he was no mere man: he cured the paraplegic man.
It raised a question to the pharisees: is Jesus with divine authority as he makes signs that no mere man can do? Jesus made many more miracles and signs but it interesting:

32-33 Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he’d been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: “There’s never been anything like this in Israel!”
34 The Pharisees were left sputtering, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil.”

Here, the pharisees created an explanation. Jesus made a pact with the Devil and so he could perform such miracles. The pharisees attributed signs made by the Holy Spirit to the devil, and so (as in Mark), the pharisees blasphemed against the Holy Spirit.
King David was a Messiah, anointed by the Holy Spirit, however, he didn't perform any miracle. The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus in a far superior way than David. He makes the reader answer: Was Jesus the Messiah? Do you submit to him? Depending on the reader's position he is a citizen of God's kingdom or not.

Matthew 8: the king Jesus is powerful and merciful.

It is very difficult to get near a king, and it is much more difficult to be served by a king. In Matthew 8, Jesus is the king who gets near different kinds of people: an unclean leper is cured by Him, a gentile (a roman centurion) has his servant cured, Peter's mother in law is cured, his disciples are saved from a storm and demon-possessed men are released.

It is very easy to understand that Jesus is powerful and loves people, even demon-possessed ones who are very difficult to love.
I know that in my nature, I want to be far from sick and demon-possessed ones because I don't want to get sick nor share the troubles of demon-possessed people. It is a self preserving reaction; however the powerful king is very different. He is powerful enough not only to stay pure but also to purify.

Should a disciple of Jesus behave as Jesus behaved? I, as a disciple, don't operate miracles but even so, it is necessary power from the Spirit to love people, mainly the ones who can not give back anything.

Matthew 7: in the kingdom, obey the king

Although trust and obedience are very important, Jesus finishes his sermon with:

24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

The Lord's sermon is beautiful to me but I must obey it. I know that it is impossible for me to obey unless the Spirit empowers me to do so.

Matthew 6: The invisible Father knows you

The Lord is invisible. We can't see him, or listen to him with our normal eyes and ears, but we can see others. Every human being wants to be applauded and well treated by others but the Christian must know that this is much less important than to be "applauded" by the Lord.
Thus, a Christian must pray to the Lord, read the Bible searching for wisdom from the Lord to please Him. It is much less important to be seen as a good Christian by other members of the church or to be seen as a good Bible scholar.
It is difficult to understand that our food, our intelligence and even our money come from the Lord. He is the One who provides, so a Christian must trust his future in the Lord's hands. It is much more natural to think that my money is MY money because I got it but that is not what the Jesus taught us.
The Lord is merciful and certainly I am not merciful as the Lord is, but He calls me to be merciful too. He wants me to forgive others because He forgave my sins.
So, Matthew 6 encourages me to live with the assurance that the Lord looks to me and takes care of me. This assurance must lead me to respond to his love in a transformed life that should make me pray reflecting the "Lord's prayer" MSG:

9-13 Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.

Matthew 5: who is the Lord? who is the Father?

In the Old Testament we read a lot about "the day of the Lord", a day where justice is made, a day of punishment. In chapter 4, we read:

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Why to repent? To escape the punishment in the day of the Lord according to many prophets. The Lord is merciful but it is necessary to repent before the day of the Lord as it is necessary to repent before our death because one day we all will have to face the Lord.
In Matthew 5 we read the Sermon on the Mountain. In special we read:

43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”


It is very common for us, Christians, to think of ourselves as the chosen people as the Jews thought about themselves. Nothing wrong about it, but what is wrong is to listen to

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

and say: my neighbor needs repentance, not me. But in the sermon of the mountain, it becomes clear that the chosen people are the ones who should repent. In particular because, there are many aspects of our lives who don't fit to the will of the Lord as we read in MSG:

"You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity."

Certainly I am sure that I should love more my enemies. I should greet the one who doesn't greet me because the Father loves my enemy too.
In summary, the Lord that punishes is the same Father who loves his enemies and expect repentance.

Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus

After the baptism, Jesus is taken by the Spirit to be tested. It is very interesting the two first temptations, when Satan says:

"If You are the Son of God ..."

In order to prove that you are the son of God, use power to be satisfied; or
in order to prove that you are the son of God, make the angels work for you.

In a similar way, Satan wants a Christian to doubt that he is accepted by the Lord through the blood of Jesus, besides, Satan tempts a Christian to divert from the will of the Lord.

Jesus understood that the Father is perfect, so it is imperative to live a life that is under the Father. The son loves the Father and wants to make his will.
The last temptation is not so different:

8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”

What is more important: to obey the Lord or to have the earth's kingdoms? The Messiah does indeed have the earth's kingdom as in Psalm 2. All the kings of the earth must submit to the Messiah, but to the Messiah who is the son of God, who obeys the perfect will of the Lord.

Jesus knew that he didn't have to prove that he is the son of God and as son, he is to live in perfect harmony with the father.

Why do I fall into temptation? Sometimes because I don´t see how beautiful is the Lord, how perfect is his will, and I put myself first to satisfy my desires above the Lord.

Matthew 3: Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit

 Saul and David were anointed by oil when the Samuel laid his hands on them; thus they were Messiah, "anointed". The point is that the Holy Spirit was with Saul when he was anointed and so with David.
Jesus is our Messiah, but how was he anointed?
We read:

13-14 Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, “I’m the one who needs to be baptized, not you!”
15 But Jesus insisted. “Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.” So John did it.
16-17 The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”

It is not written that this was the anointment, but in this passage, the Spirit declared how the Lord loves Jesus, and called Him, his son. Jesus is very precious to the Father and the Father was showing his love on baptism. Jesus was delighted on doing the Father's will.

We, as "little Christ", know that our Father loves us. May we delight on doing his will because we know that his will is good.

Matthew 2: Baby Jesus is recognized by gentile scholars from east but not by the Judean authorities

In Matthew 2, scholars from east recognize that the Messiah, the king of the Jews, was born and they came to worship Him. Perhaps, these scholars were influenced by the Jews in Babylon exile. They brought gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Interestingly, the scholars from Judea  (ex: priests) knew the place where Jesus would be born but they were unable or unwilling to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Some priests could have joined the east scholars to identify the Messiah, but they didn't.
Herod was the king settled by Rome. He wanted to preserve his power, thus he was afraid of the Messiah; so afraid that he was eager to kill Him. We read:

16-18 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s revelation was fulfilled:
A sound was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
    Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone,
    dead and buried.


Baby Jesus was protected by the Lord who instructed Joseph how to proceed to protect Him.
The power belongs to the Messiah, but some men can do everything to be in power.

Matthew 1: Emanuel - the Lord is with us

The newest book of old testament is taken as Malachi, 5 centuries before Jesus. In this period, it seemed that the Lord has silenced. Many prophets in old testament were claiming that there will come the "day of the Lord" when Israel would be restored, and the evil doers would be punished. The kingdom of the Lord would be governed by the son of David. Jesus came but many Jews didn't understand the connection to the old testament prophecies, thus, Matthew is a book that shows how the prophecies were fulfilled. It begins showing Jesus as the son of Abraham and son of David.

Jesus was born in a very peculiar way: He was born by the Holy Spirit and not by a human father. Matthew does not go into details about the implications of being born by the Holy Spirit, but it must be related to the fact that Jesus lived without sin and all other human beings have sinned.

The Lord is the One who writes the story of mankind, but not only that: He takes care of individuals too as he took care of Joseph. If Joseph were a mere robot in the hands of the Lord, it would not be necessary to reveal him the work of the Spirit. So, in Matthew 1 we see a great picture of the Lord dealing with the story of mankind, and also, a picture of the Lord dealing with one man, Joseph. The Lord is the One who loves mankind but He also is the One who loves me in particular. The Lord is with us, but He is in particular with me.

Malachi 4: The day of punishment is coming

We read:

1-3 “Count on it: The day is coming, raging like a forest fire. All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash—a black day. But for you, sunrise! The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking.

Many passages in Old Testament refers to the day of the Lord, a day of punishment for the arrogant and day of joy for the righteous.

The Old Testament ends with:

5-6 “But also look ahead: I’m sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of God — the decisive Judgment Day! He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I’ll come and put the land under a curse.”

Reading the New Testament, Jesus says that Elijah refers to John, the Baptist. So, we may understand that he is the one who clears the way for the Big Day of God; but did we see a day of punishment? Jesus was punished by our sins but all the arrogant people seemed to have a victory on that day; so it wasn't a day of punishment. Thus, this prophecy is uncompleted. We still hope that the day of the Lord as day of punishment, we hope for the second coming of Jesus.

Malachi 3: How can I offend the Lord?

Malachi warns that the people has been offending the Lord, but they reply: "How can we offend Him? Is it possible that we mere humans offend Him?". The people is accused of stealing the Lord when they don't take care of the levites, widows, orphans and foreigners that should be sustained from their tithes. The people is accused of speaking rude words against the Lord when they envy the unbeliever who is not obliged to serve Him. The Lord is offended when his people sees the Lord as a demanding God instead of recognizing Him as the Lord of Grace.
Malachi ends the Old Testament. In this last chapter we read:

1 “Look! I’m sending my messenger on ahead to clear the way for me. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Leader you’ve been looking for will enter his Temple—yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you’ve been waiting for. Look! He’s on his way!” A Message from the mouth of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
2-4 But who will be able to stand up to that coming? Who can survive his appearance?

In the New Testament, this messenger is taken as the John, the Baptist while Jesus is the Lord who live among us. Interestingly, only reading Malachi, it seems that the Lord comes to punish. "Who can survive his appearance?"
I have many doubts about how the prophecies of Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament, but the story is not yet finished. Some prophecies will be fulfilled in the second coming of Jesus.

Malachi 2: Does God love sinners?

Malachi preaches against the priests because they sin against the Lord.
Malachi preaches against the men because they divorce from their wives to marry idolatrous women.
So, how can we say that the Lord loves sinners? We read:

17 You make God tired with all your talk.
“How do we tire him out?” you ask.
By saying, “God loves sinners and sin alike. God loves all.” And also by saying, “Judgment? God’s too nice to judge.”

Malachi goes against the preaching that God loves sinners, thus He won't punish anyone. Malachi is warning: the Lord will punish, so repent before it is too late.

Malachi 1: God loves Jacob/Israel but not vice-versa

Malachi is a prophet that lived around 100 years after exile. The second temple is already built. It is composed of questions. It begins with a statement to the people in post exile:

1 A Message. God’s Word to Israel through Malachi:
2-3 God said, “I love you.”
You replied, “Really? How have you loved us?”

Perhaps, we should expect as an answer something like: "I have made you return from exile, I was with you rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, etc.". Instead, the Lord answers that He, in his power, has chosen Jacob instead of Esau; however that is not because Jacob has been more faithful. In fact:

6 “Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where’s the respect?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: “You priests despise me!

Here, Malachi discusses how the chosen people has despised the Lord: when they present defected animals as sacrifices.


It makes me think that I believe that the Lord has chosen me and loved me; however, it is common that I believe on it intellectually. May the Spirit of the Lord rebuke me and lead me back to Him whenever it is necessary.

Zechariah 14: on that day

 In a lot of passages Zechariah talks about one specific day in the future. Here we read that godless nations will fight against Jerusalem. It will be difficult days for Jerusalem because there will be: "Houses plundered,    women raped". "Half the city taken into exile,    the other half left behind". Zechariah is a prophet after the Babylon exile but he foresess another exile. He sees a day when the Lord will reign on earth:

3-5 But then God will march out against the godless nations and fight—a great war! That’s the Day he’ll take his stand on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split right down the middle, from east to west, leaving a wide valley. Half the mountain will shift north, the other half south. Then you will run for your lives down the valley, your escape route that will take you all the way to Azal. You’ll run for your lives, just as you ran on the day of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then my God will arrive and all the holy angels with him.

6-7 What a Day that will be! No more cold nights—in fact, no more nights! The Day is coming—the timing is God’s—when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning.

8 What a Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter!

9 God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!

When the Lord will be king over all the earth? We understand that it will happen when Jesus return.

Zechariah 13: Strike the Shepherd

In the first part of Zechariah 13, we read about the Big Day when sins will be washed, idols will be removed and false prophets will be silenced and humiliated. It ends with:

7-9
“Sword, get moving against my shepherd,
    against my close associate!”
        Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“Kill the shepherd! Scatter the sheep!
    The back of my hand against even the lambs!
All across the country”—God’s Decree—
    “two-thirds will be devastated
    and one-third survive.
I’ll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires.
    I’ll refine them as silver is refined,
    test them for purity as gold is tested.
Then they’ll pray to me by name
    and I’ll answer them personally.
I’ll say, ‘That’s my people.’
    They’ll say, ‘God—my God!’”

The gospel (Matthew and Mark) reads this text as a prophecy that fulfills when Jesus (the Shepherd) was taken by the soldiers and the disciples abandoned Him. Zechariah goes on saying that two-thirds of the sheep will be devastated and one-third will survive that will pass through refinery fires. At end, there will be a communion between the Lord and the remaining.

Zechariah 12: Jerusalem and the One who was pierced

In Zechariah's days, in post exile, the temple was being rebuilt. Let us suppose that we lived around year 1000 AC: Jerusalem had been destroyed a long time ago by the Romans; how would we read Zechariah 12? Perhaps, we would engage in a crusade to free Jerusalem from Muslims. Now, in 2025 the situation is very different: Jews live in Jerusalem and it seems that prophecies about Jerusalem may be fulfilled more literally:

6 “On the Big Day, I’ll turn the families of Judah into something like a burning match in a tinder-dry forest, like a fiercely flaming torch in a barn full of hay. They’ll burn up everything and everyone in sight—people to the right, people to the left—while Jerusalem fills up with people moving in and making themselves at home—home again in Jerusalem.

The most interesting verses are:

10-14 “Next I’ll deal with the family of David and those who live in Jerusalem. I’ll pour a spirit of grace and prayer over them. They’ll then be able to recognize me as the One they so grievously wounded—that piercing spear-thrust! And they’ll weep—oh, how they’ll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child.

The Lord says that He is the One wounded. In NASB:

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem will to look the Lord whom they pierced, i.e. they pierced the Lord; but how can the Lord, the YHWH be pierced? They will mourn form Him like on mourning the an only son. I can easily understand that it refers to Jesus and the Jews repenting for crucifying Jesus in the last days as many commentators say. It reminds Romans 11 where St. Paul says:

25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27
And this is my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

Zechariah 11: The Rejection of the True Shepherd

This chapter is very interesting and it is very difficult to understand because it points to the betrayal of Judas Iscariot's and it is not so clear to me how this linkage works.

We read:

4-5 God commanded me, “Shepherd the sheep that are soon to be slaughtered. The people who buy them will butcher them for quick and easy money. What’s worse, they’ll get away with it. The people who sell them will say, ‘Lucky me! God’s on my side; I’ve got it made!’ They have shepherds who couldn’t care less about them.”

The Lord commands Zechariah to shepherd his people, however, he says "the people who buy the sheep will butcher them". I don't know who will sell these sheep: Zechariah or others (as corrupted pastors)? It seems that corrupted pastors will take advantage of the sheep and they will fool themselves thinking that the Lord is on their side.

6 God’s Decree: “I’m washing my hands of the people of this land. From now on they’re all on their own. It’s dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest, and every person for themselves. Don’t look for help from me.”

The Lord is abandoning his people. Zechariah won't get help from the Lord when shepherding his people.

7-8 So I took over from the crass, money-grubbing owners, and shepherded the sheep marked for slaughter. I got myself two shepherd staffs. I named one Lovely and the other Harmony. Then I went to work shepherding the sheep. Within a month I got rid of the corrupt shepherds. I got tired of putting up with them—and they couldn’t stand me.

Zechariah took the sheep from their owners. These sheep were marked to be slaughtered. He took care of them with love and harmony. He also got rid of the corrupt shepherds. I think that Zechariah points to Jesus.


9 And then I got tired of the sheep and said, “I’ve had it with you—no more shepherding from me. If you die, you die; if you’re attacked, you’re attacked. Whoever survives can eat what’s left.”


Here a problem: Zechariah got tired of the sheep. It doesn't fit Jesus giving his blood to save sinners.

10-11 Then I took the staff named Lovely and broke it across my knee, breaking the beautiful covenant I had made with all the peoples. In one stroke, both staff and covenant were broken. The money-hungry owners saw me do it and knew God was behind it.

Zechariah reflects the Lord abandoning his people, breaking the beautiful covenant. He broke the staff name Lovely.

12 Then I addressed them: “Pay me what you think I’m worth.” They paid me an insulting sum, counting out thirty silver coins.

This passage is mentioned in the New Testament. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty silver coins. Judas was the one who received the coins. Anyway, Jesus took care of the sheep to be slaughtered but his work wasn't properly evaluated.

13 God told me, “Throw it in the poor box.” This stingy wage was all they thought of me and my work! So I took the thirty silver coins and threw them into the poor box in God’s Temple.

Judas is the one who throw the coins in the temple. We see a parallel but obviously Jesus and Zechariah can't fit very well.

14 Then I broke the other staff, Harmony, across my knee, breaking the family ties between Judah and Israel.

Here, the harmony between Jews and Samaritans (in Jesus time) were broken. However in Zechariah time there was Israel and Judah. Perhaps there is no order on how prophecies are fulfilled so in Jesus time, the harmony between Jews and Samaritans were already broken.

15-16 God then said, “Dress up like a stupid shepherd. I’m going to install just such a shepherd in this land—a shepherd indifferent to victims, who ignores the lost, abandons the injured, and disdains decent citizens. He’ll only be in it for what he can get out of it, using and abusing any and all.

We know that the Lord is Merciful, that He is Love, so it is very difficult to read that the Lord himself will install a shepherd that is indifferent to the injured, victims, etc. instead, this shepherd will be abusive.

17
“Doom to you, useless shepherd,
    walking off and leaving the sheep!
A curse on your arm!
    A curse on your right eye!
Your arm will hang limp and useless.
    Your right eye will go stone blind.”

The Lord is a God of Love. In verse 17, the Lord is cursing this useless shepherd.
In conclusion, it is very difficult to read this chapter and link Judas with the 30 silver coins. It is clear that the Lord wants good shepherds for his people and abusive shepherds will be punished.

Zechariah 10: God’s Work of Rebuilding

 1 Pray to God for rain—it’s time for the spring rain—
    to God, the rainmaker,
Spring thunderstorm maker,
    maker of grain and barley.
2-3
“Store-bought gods babble gibberish.
    Religious experts spout rubbish.
They pontificate hot air.
    Their prescriptions are nothing but smoke.
And so the people wander like lost sheep,
    poor lost sheep without a shepherd.
I’m furious with the so-called shepherds.
    They’re worse than billy goats, and I’ll treat them like goats.”

Zechariah says that the Lord is against the "religious experts" of his time.  No wonder the prophets were persecuted. He says that we should pray to God for rain, water and we may infer, that we should pray for basic things that keep us alive, while religious experts will be punished.
In Zechariah's time, there was no Israel as the northern kingdom, yet he says:

6-12
“I’ll put muscle in the people of Judah;
    I’ll save the people of Joseph.
I know their pain and will make them good as new.
    They’ll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened.
And why? Because I am their very own God,
    I’ll do what needs to be done for them.
The people of Ephraim will be famous,
    their lives brimming with joy.
Their children will get in on it, too—
    oh, let them feel blessed by God!
I’ll whistle and they’ll all come running.
    I’ve set them free—oh, how they’ll flourish!
Even though I scattered them to the far corners of earth,
    they’ll remember me in the faraway places.
They’ll keep the story alive in their children,
    and they will come back.
I’ll bring them back from the Egyptian west
    and round them up from the Assyrian east.
I’ll bring them back to sweet Gilead,
    back to leafy Lebanon.
Every square foot of land
    will be marked by homecoming.
They’ll sail through troubled seas, brush aside brash ocean waves.
    Roaring rivers will turn to a trickle.
Gaudy Assyria will be stripped bare,
    bully Egypt exposed as a fraud.
But my people—oh, I’ll make them strong, God-strong!
    and they’ll live my way.” God says so!

Zechariah doesn't write saying that people from Judah are better than people from Israel. The Lord reveals him a great future for Israel/Ephraim. Part of them were in Egypt, other part in Assyria but the Lord will gather them again as his people in the promised land. I can't understand well how this will happen or happened because it is too difficult to identify people from Ephraim today. The point is that the Lord makes Jews and Samaritans live in harmony.

Zechariah 9: the humble King

The Jews came from exile. In this chapter, we read that the Lord will punish the surrounding nations, specially Tyre.
The Lord says that He will protect his people:

8 I will set up camp in my home country
    and defend it against invaders.
Nobody is going to hurt my people ever again.
    I’m keeping my eye on them.

The Lord will establish a king in Jerusalem:

9-10
“Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!
    Raise your voice, Daughter Jerusalem!
Your king is coming!
    a good king who makes all things right,
    a humble king riding a donkey,
    a mere colt of a donkey.
I’ve had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim,
    no more war horses in Jerusalem,
    no more swords and spears, bows and arrows.
He will offer peace to the nations,
    a peaceful rule worldwide,
    from the four winds to the seven seas.

Jesus took care to enter in Jerusalem riding a donkey and the crowd understood that He was the Messiah, this king that Zechariah prophesied.
Did Jesus offer peace to the nations? Was this prophecy fulfilled?
We Christians believe so, but it happened in a way that was very obscure to understand: Jesus was crucified, He resurrected, and through his disciples, He offered peace to the nations.

Zechariah 8: fasting as a sign of joy

In Zechariah 7, people from Judah asked if they should fast as in Babylon in order to show sadness in exile. In Zechariah 8 we read:

18-19 Again I received a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
“The days of mourning set for the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be turned into days of feasting for Judah—celebration and holiday. Embrace truth! Love peace!

The days of mourning will become feasting days, besides:

20-21 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
“People and their leaders will come from all over to see what’s going on. The leaders will confer with one another: ‘Shouldn’t we try to get in on this? Get in on God’s blessings? Pray to God-of-the-Angel-Armies? What’s keeping us? Let’s go!’
22 “Lots of people, powerful nations—they’ll come to Jerusalem looking for what they can get from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, looking to get a blessing from God.”

The Lord didn't call Israel to be a super country, living as rich man isolated in his castle. The Lord called Israel to be a blessing to all nations. Jerusalem will gather people from many countries who seek the blessing from God.

Zechariah 7: religious devotion instead of mercy

 Jews had returned from Babylon and some of them were living in Bethel. In Babylon they used to mourn and fast next August to show sorrow for being there, but now, as circumstances changed they sent a message to the high priest asking if they should continue with the fasting. The Lord sent a message to Zacheriah as an answer:

4-6 God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave me this Message for them, for all the people and for the priests: “When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in people.

In a more concrete way, what the Lord wants?

10 ... Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:

    “‘Treat one another justly.
    Love your neighbors.
    Be compassionate with each other.
    Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.
    Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’

11-13 “But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears. They steeled themselves against God’s revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. And God became angry, really angry, because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn’t listen to a word he said.


So, the Lord wants me to love people, to be compassionate husband and father, to love and treat well people.

Zechariah 6: A Man Named Branch

In Zechariah 6, the Lord commands Zechariah to crown the high priest Joshua. At this moment, he gives the message to Joshua:

12-13 “‘A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies. Be alert. We have a man here whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of God. Yes, he’s the one. He’ll build the Temple of God. Then he’ll assume the role of royalty, take his place on the throne and rule—a priest sitting on the throne!—showing that king and priest can coexist in harmony.’

It is the second time Zechariah (Zechariah 3:8-9) talks about the Branch. Here, we read that He is the one who builds the Temple of God and is king and priest. Jesus was accused of blasphemy for saying that He is Messiah as in Daniel 7. This happened after someone said that He claimed that He would rebuild the temple. In fact, Jesus is the temple of the Lord (where earth and heaven connects), the King and the Priest.

Zechariah 5: cleaning sins

The new temple is to be built. Zechariah 5 has two visions, both about cleaning sins. In the first vision, a book curses thieves and liars.
In the second vision, there is a basket with the sins of the whole earth. Inside this basket there is a woman: Miss Wickedness. This basket is being carried to Babylon. In chapter 1 we read that Babylon will be destroyed.
The Lord lives in clean places, places with no sin. Fortunately, He is the One who clean sins.

Zechariah 4: strength to rebuild the temple

Zechariah has another vision concerning the temple:

6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of armies. 7 ‘What are you, you great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring out the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”

The great mountain must be great obstacles to rebuild the temple. These obstacles will be removed by the Spirit of the Lord.
I pray that my father trust in the Lord before he dies, but he is demented and can't reason well. I must believe that by the Spirit, the Lord can remove obstacles.

Zechariah 3: the high priest in the new temple

 The temple in Jerusalem is to be restored. Joshua is the high priest in the new temple, but there is a problem: Satan is ready to accuse him because he is not fit to the temple. The Lord rebukes Satan. Although Jerusalem is going up in fire, she will be saved. Joshua filthy clothes are changed.
We read:

8-9 “‘Careful, High Priest Joshua—both you and your friends sitting here with you, for your friends are in on this, too! Here’s what I’m doing next: I’m introducing my servant Branch. And note this: This stone that I’m placing before Joshua, a single stone with seven eyes’—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—‘I’ll engrave with these words: “I’ll strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day.”

10 “‘At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another’s porches.’”

The Lord will strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day, but how? As a Christian, it is clear that this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified, but I can't imagine how a Jew reading this passage would interpret it; I suppose there are a multitude of explanations. The prophecy goes on saying that people will get along with one another. The church is the place that gather (our should gather) people that are natural enemies. This happens when we look to Jesus instead to ourselves.

Zechariah 2: time to leave Babylon

The Lord is guiding his people through the prophets. Jeremiah told that the Jews should settle in Babylon and help it prosper; but now, it is time to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem. We read:

8-9 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the One of Glory who sent me on my mission, commenting on the godless nations who stripped you and left you homeless, said, “Anyone who hits you, hits me—bloodies my nose, blackens my eye. Yes, and at the right time I’ll give the signal and they’ll be stripped and thrown out by their own servants.” Then you’ll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission.

Although the people of the Lord were in Babylon, their values and priorities should be different. Now, the Lord is commanding Judah to return to Jerusalem that was devastated. We read:

4 And he said to him, “Run, speak to that young man there, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as open country because of the multitude of people and cattle within it. 5 But I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire to her on all sides, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

Jerusalem was once dead, but now she comes back to life again, protected by the Lord.

Zecheriah 1: a call to repentance.

 Zecheriah 1: a call to repentance.

We read (NASB):

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of armies, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of armies. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord. 5 “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘Just as the Lord of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”


The Lord, through Zechariah, commands that his people return to him so that the Lord will return to his people. The Lord was with Judah before the exile. At that time, the Lord sent prophets such as Jeremiah who foresaw 70 years of exile. At that time, the prophets called for repentance. Finally, the people of Judah recognized that the Lord is above everything and accepted the punishment for their sins.
The Lord has not abandoned his people in punishment. Now it the time for repentance and restoration.